Regulator for lighting systems.



W. T. MANOGUE & C. F. SCHROEDER, REGULATOIR FOR HGHTING SYSTEMS. APPLICATION HZLED FEB. a. 1915.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

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WILLIAM '1. MANOGUE AND CHARLES E. sorizaonnnn, or EVANSVILLE, INDIANA; LOUIS E. FRIGKE, or EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, Execution or sen) sonnonnnn,

DECEASED; SAID MANOGUE AN D SAID EXEOUTOR ASSIGNORS '10 SCHROEDER HEAD- LIGHT GOMPANY, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPGRATION OF INDIANA.

REGULATOR FGB, LIGHTING SYSTEMS.

Application filed February 8, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat we, WILLIAM T. MANO- GUE and CHARLES F. Sonnonnnn, citizens of the United States, residing at Evansville, in the county of Vanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulators for Light ing Systems; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to regulators for electric lighting systems; and the object of the. same is to provide mechanical means for the automatic regulation of said lighting system so that the motor and dynamo will not race when the load is reduced as by the manual cutting out of certain of the lights or by accidental burning out.

While we desire it distinctly understood that this invention is applicable to a variety of uses, or to systems of electric lighting employed in a variety of places and in various conditions, we consider it especially useful in connection with systems which light a headlight or search light in addition to other lights, and wherein the dynamo is driven by a turbine or rotary motor.

More particularly the invention is applicable to headlights as on steam boats or 10- comotives, and in the drawings herewith we have particularly illustrated the system as applied to a locomotive without wishing to be limited to this application.

Referring to said drawings :Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of a locomotive with our improved system applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the turbine motor with one of its brakes in section, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof.

We have selected a locomotive for the typical illustration of the application of our invention, although we do not Wish to be limited in this respect.

The letter L designates the locomotive having a head-light H, a steam dome D, and a cab. C, and the letter S designates a supply pipe taken in the present instance from the steam dome for driving the motor which We prefer to make of the turbine or rotary type. The steam passing through the pipe S is led I Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

Serial No. 6,825.

first through a control valve 1 whose stem is connected by a rod 2 with a handle 3 within the cab C, and by setting this handle the engineer or fireman may turn on or turn off the steam at will. From the control valve 1 the steam is next led through a reducing valve 4 whereof the detailed construction need not be amplified. Next the steam passes to a motor broadly designated in Fig. 1 by the numeral 5 and which, as above stated, will be preferably of the turbine type. The shaft 6 of this motor is connected direct with the dynamo 7 whose purpose is to generate the electricity to light theheadlight H and the lights within the cab, and possibly also the lights throughout the length of the train although this last possibility has not been illustrated. On this understanding'a wire 8 leads from one pole 15 of the dynamo to a bulb 9 in the headlight H, and anotherwire 10 leads from said bulb to a terminal a on a switch 11 located in the cab C and within reach of the engineer. From the pole 15 of the dynamo a wire 12 leads to the bulb or bulbs 19 within the cab (and perhaps throughout the length of the train if desired) and back on wire 13 to the other pole 14: of the dynamo, thus forming a circuit entirely separate from the headlight circuit. Another wire 16 leads from the first named pole 15 of the dynamo, to one end of a resistance 17 which is of any suitable type but about equal to the resistance'set up by the bulb 9 when the headlight is burning. The other end of the resistance is connected with the other switch terminal 6. From the pivot of the switch arm a wire 18 leads back to the dynamo pole let.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, We have thought it necessary to illustrate only part of the turbine or rotary motor, .which may, in fact, be of almost'an'y approved type. In these views the numeral 20 designates the hub to which the shaft 6 is attached, and 21 is the head or rotor of the motor itself, its rim 22 traveling within the stationary turbine housing 23 and by preference having a flange 24 near its periphery. Alongside said wheel and outside its flange 24at intervals around the samethree intervals are shown in Fig. 3are located brake shoes 25, each lined on its outer face with a suitable inner face 27 of he housing at times as eX- plained below. bolt 28 is connected with each shoe and passes loosely through a hole 29 in the fla e and then radially in- .ward toward the hub 20; and on this bolt is coiled an expansive spring 30 whose outer end bears against the flange and whose inner end bears against a nut- 31, the latter being held in place adjustably on the inner threaded end of the bolt by a jam nut 37. This description and illustration are only typical of one means we may employ for mounting the shoe upon the rotor in such way that it is held yieldingly inward toward the hub and its facing 26 out of contact with the inner face 27 of the housing under ordinary conditions; but when the speed of rotation of the motor becomes excessive, the centrifugal force will cause the shoe 25 to move outward and overcome the tension of the spring 30, until eventually the facing 26 contacts with the turbine housing and the brake elfect is produced. lVe use two or more of these brakes on the rotor so as to balance the same. By preference the entire brake mechanism is inclosed within the housing, so as to be protected from the elements and dirt.

With the above construction of parts the action of this improved automatic regulator for lighting systems is as fol.lows:-In day time the engineer will manipulate the handle 3 so that the control valve 1 will be closed, and no steam will be admitted to the motor 5. To light up the system, he has but to turn the handle 3 in the opposite direction, and steam going through the pipe S and valve 1, passes next through the reducing valve i and drives the motor at a speed dependent upon the way in which said reducing valve 4- is set. This drives the shaft 6 and dynamo 7, and electricity flows through the wires. To light the headlight H, the engineer moves the switch arm 11 to the point a and cuts out the resistance 17. Current now goes from the dynamo through the wire 8, headlight bulb 9, wire 10, switch terminal a, switch arm and pivot, and wire 18 back to the dynamo. On some railroads it is required that the headlight be out out when a locomotive goes on a siding to permit another train to pass. In these circumstances or under other conditions when it is desirable to extinguish the headlight, the engineer moves the switch 11 from the point a to the point 7), thus cutting out the wires 8 and 10 which include the headlight bulb 9 and cutting in the wires 16 and 18 which include the resistance 17. The latter is about equal to the resistance set up by the bulb 9 when lighted, and therefore this change in the position of the switch does not alter the load thrown on to the dynamo. But when a headlight bulb burns out and its circuit is broken the dynamo is relieved of that much of its electrical load and, being directly connected through the shaft 6 with the motor 5, said motor will begin to race. This might produce disastrous effects if it were not checked, and the use of our automatic centrifugal brake will be apparent. Current is still flowing through the wires 12 and 13 and the cab-lights (or train lights or both) and racing of the dynamo might produce a change of voltage on this circuit. lVhenever the rotor revolves at a sufliciently high rate of speed the brake shoes 25 fly outward and their faces 26 contact with the inner face 27 of the housing 23 of the motor, with the result that a load is thrown on to the motor, which load increases as the speed of rotation increases or decreases as said speed decreases. Hence the braking effect thus automatically applied will prevent the motor from racing, and no injury will result to it or to the dynamo or bulbs. The same action would take place if the wires of either circuit should part at any place, or even if the engineer should leave the switch 11 wide open without its arm being in contact with either point a or b. The use of a reducing valve t within the steam pipe prevents an increase of pressure within the locomotive boiler from running the motor at an excessive speed. If the lighting circuit throughout the length of the train were connected up with the system described, it might be necessary to set this valve 4 so as to supply more steam to the motor, but this will be understood without further illustration. The pressure in the boiler will hardly fall so low that it is not suflicient to drive the motor 5, as long as the locomotive is in use. Even if this did occur, the engineer would soon discover it by the dimness of the lights.

What is claimed is l. The combination with a rotating member, an annular flange on the end thereof spaced from the periphery, and provided with apertures, of a brake-shoe located on the outer side of the flange, pins connected with the shoe and extending radially through the apertures toward the longiudinal axis of the rotating member, springs carried by the pins and arranged to normally press said pins inwardly, a hub carried by the rotating member, a casing for the latter, and a plate extending from the hub to the end of the casing and constituting the outer portion of a chamber inclosing the pins and the outer portion of a chamber concentric with the first chamber and inclosing the shoe.

2. The combination with a rotating memher, an annular flange on the end thereof spaced from the periphery, and provided with apertures, of a brake-shoe located on the outer side of the flange, pins connected with the shoe and extending radially through the apertures toward the longitudinal axis of the rotating member, springs carried by he pins and arranged to normally press said pins inwardly, a hub carriecl by the rotating member, a casing, a flange projecting longitudinally and radially from the casing, a plate extending from the hub to the flange on the casing and constituting the outer portion of a chamber inclosing the pins and a chamber concentric with the first chamber and inclosing the shoe.

8. The combination with a drum of a motor and brake supporting means carried by the drum, of a brake shoe carried by the supporting means and having an exterior bearing surface presenting an arc of a circle of substantially the same diameter as that of the drum and a substantially cylindrical casing having a bore for the drum and forming a bearing surface for the shoe operat ing Within said bore.

4. The combination with a rotating member constituting the drum of a motor, of a casing therefor, having an inwardly and longitudinally extending flange on one end, said rotating member having a flange c0ncentric with the flange of the casing, a brake shoe between the flanges, supporting means for the shoe, and a plate extending acrossthe outer portion of each flange and inclosing the shoe.

In testimony whereof We afiix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

XVILLIAM T. MANOGUE. CHAR-LES F. SGHROEDER. Witnesses H. E. HULERMAN, MARY K. Bnrz.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. U. 

